I embraced the Dawn [Eve] | pg2 by Fumi Suenaga

Size 23.2 x 39 cm | Media : pencil, ink & splatter on paper

Originally published in 1972 & bundled in 'Nikaiya no Prostitute' Wise publication, 2007

Fumi Suenaga (1949–2018) — also known as Ayako Suenaga or Ayako Ito — was a Japanese manga artist whose work spanned both the tender innocence of shōjo manga and the emotional depth of gekiga. After leaving both Musashino Art University and Chuo University, she began her career drawing for Ribon Comic (Shueisha), where she gained recognition in the 1960s for her charming and innocent shōjo stories under the name Ayako Suenaga.

It’s almost hard to reconcile that same artist with the one who, in the 1970s and '80s, created such deeply moving and often tragic gekiga. Behind her ever-present smile, Suenaga lived a life marked by personal challenges, and the emotional weight of that experience is reflected in her work. Her stories often explore themes of aging, loneliness, heartbreak, and loss — particularly from a woman's perspective.

While her early work was mostly featured in Ribon, her more mature and acclaimed gekiga pieces appeared in respected publications like Young Comic, COMIC Baku, and Comic VAN.

In the late 1980s, Suenaga found personal fulfillment in a new path as a mental health social worker, contributing new artwork only occasionally. A selection of her most powerful stories was collected in Nikaiya no Prostitute: Fumi Suenaga Art Collection (Wise Publishing, 2007), which includes standout pieces like Holding Dawn, Outside the Darkness, Expression Hell, and Fly Banai Night.